Quantum Computing Has Time to Build Some Hype Momentum
June 30, 2020
After artificial intelligence, quantum computing wants to be a leader in the hyperbole arms race. “Value of Quantum Computing Uncertain for at Least 10 Years” makes a case for the quantum cheerleaders to adopt two Stalin five year plans. These can be implemented back to back.
The article quotes an outfit called Lux Research (which I assume connotes expensive information) as learning:
Quantum bits, or qubits, are inherently unstable, thus reducing the accuracy of any computation that relies on them; this is the first major obstacle to commercialization. For this reason, problems that lack clearly defined answers (like machine learning) but still benefit from improved solutions are the best problems to target with quantum computing.
DarkCyber thinks this means that graduate programs and venture capitalists have plenty of time to make their personal and financial investments pay off.
In the meantime, quantum computing cheerleaders can perfect their routine without too much fear of a rival coming up with a show stopper. And conferences? Absolutely.
Stephen E Arnold, June 30, 2020
Big Blue, Number Two
June 24, 2020
In the land of IBM, Watson works and the once towering giant, progenitor of OS2, and big disc drives that made “crash” a popular term is in the news again.
“ARM Based Fugaku Supercomputer Now World’s Fastest Supercomputer” reports that
The Fugaku supercomputer located in Kobe, Japan and developed jointly by RIKEN and Fujitsu Limited recently took the top spot in several supercomputer rankings making it the first time since June 2011 that Japan has held the Top500 supercomputer list crown and the first time ever that a supercomputer has simultaneously hit the HPCG, HPL-AI, and Graph500 world records.
And guess what company is Number 2? IBM and its IBM-built Summit system located at the US Oak Ridge National Laboratory. When not working on Covid, Summit matches possible owners to stray dogs.
Stephen E Arnold, June 24, 2020
Physicists May Be Inventors
June 23, 2020
Physics is a fascinating subject. There’s the high school variety involving steel balls, magnets, and fire. Then there is the world of wonky “things” like quarks, flavors, and wimps. (No, wimp does not mean a polo player afraid of falling off his or her equine dynamical system.)
“CERN Wants to Build a new $23 Billion Super-Collider That’s 100 Kilometers Long” explains that the hadron folks need to up the ante. The idea is that wackos who embrace string theory and the neo-Einsteinians will be outflanked; misguided miscreants who cannot dis-CERN that progress in physics is more than wonk-babble emitted by pundits who are not bounded by the time and space of mere mortals.
The write up reports:
CERN wants to build a successor to the Large Hadron Collider to further study the Higgs boson particle.
I learned:
The Large Hadron Collider took a decade to build and cost around $4.75 billion. Most of that money came from European countries like Germany, the UK, France and Spain. Some believe that countries like the US and Japan might need to pony up for this second collider if it’s actually going to get built.
The money will be found! Physicists have to have a gizmo big enough to permit physicists to make the leap between observing fundamental phenomena to creating objects.
Mother Nature is obviously not performing up to the Ernest Rutherford. Are physicists becoming inorganic chemists with a better understanding of fancy math? Yep. The need to find has may be veering into create via a big, expensive machine hopefully with better reliability than the existing collider.
Stephen E Arnold, June 23, 2020
Free Dissertation? Act Fast or You May Have to Pay Up and a Lot
June 20, 2020
DarkCyber spotted “Discovering Dennis Ritchie’s Lost Dissertation.” The main point of the write up is that a wizard failed to hand over a copy of his dissertation to the institution library. As a result, no PhD and no scanning, indexing, and selling of the good student’s work by University Microfilms. I have no clue what this outfit is called today, but in the 1960s, the outfit zoomed through Kodak film and helped animate environmental controls on photoprocessing chemicals. Silver and all that, of course.
The main point of the write up for me is the link to the aforementioned dissertation. Free and online as June 20, 2020, at Ritchie_dissertation.pdf. Miss this chance and you may have to pony up some hard cash for a professional publishing/database company’s honest work of making money by converting students’ fear and perspiration into an online charge.
Oh, what did the student cook up? The C language.
Stephen E Arnold, June 20, 2020
Springer Free Computer Science Books
June 16, 2020
The list of free Springer computer science books is at this link. More than 40 books are available. Our faves include The Algorithm Design Manual and Introduction to Evolutionary Computing. DarkCyber did not ask, “Why?”
Stephen E Arnold, June 16, 2020
Australian Study: Not Likely to Be Popular at Apple
June 12, 2020
Australia’s News.com published “Study Casts Doubt on School iPad Benefits.” Although narrow, the information appears to confirm what DarkCyber has believed for a long time: A technology bandage does not fix underlying systemic failures. Example: Students without a home, a knowledge supporting peer group, and capable human instructors may not magically learn when equipped with a computing device. Bummer. Silver bullets, magic wands, and next big things are just supposed to solve problems. At least, that is how the logic appears to go when apparently educated people try to remediate the things schools do wrong.
The write up states:
New research has found using iPads and other technology in schools may not support brain development particularly in young children, according to James Cook University’s Professor Helen Boon.
Yikes. The write up continues:
The study found the technology did not enhance specific school learning areas such as mathematics, English, and science.
“Some studies have suggested that mobile technology promotes collaborative learning, communication and access to information,” Dr Boon said. “On the other hand, the potential for mobile technology to be a distraction in the classroom has also been frequently reported.” Dr Boon says another concern is the effect their physical use has on young brains.
Imagine. Books, paper, pencils, drills, and old-fashioned methods may deliver skills while computing devices teach distraction.
The fix? Order up more Chromebooks, iPads, and smartphones.
Stephen E Arnold, June 12, 2020
A Somewhat Grim Factoid: Internet Speed
June 10, 2020
Many in the US can check email and suck up online video. Internet life seems wonderful. However, if the data in “ANALYSIS: US Falls Out of Top 10 Average Internet Speeds Globally in 2020, but Global Speeds Faster Than Ever” are accurate, the US is not just falling in math rankings, America is the proud possessor of slowing Internet speeds.
The write up states:
The United States had been consistently ranking between 8th and 10th for top average internet speeds globally over the last 24 months, but has recently fallen out of the rolling average top 10 to the 11th position on the list. While broadband expansion and improvement has been a focus of US government agencies over the past decade, the roll out has lagged behind anticipated growth.
The zippiest Internet is in Singapore. The US, pegged at number 11, is behind Romania and Hungary.
Stephen E Arnold, June 10, 2020
What Type of Content Is Plentiful? Ever Been to a Cow Barn?
June 9, 2020
DarkCyber enjoyed “Most Tech Content Is Bullshit.” The write up explains:
I saw developers taking other people’s solutions for granted. Not thinking twice about the approach, not bothering about analyzing it.
When asked about the behavior, the article highlights four common behaviors:
- It was in some article.
- I copy-pasted it from X.
- I was doing it in my previous project.
- Someone told me so.
Unfortunately, these four points cover the bases for odd, wrong, and off base information.
The logical error is “appeal to authority.” Information issued from someone perceived as authoritative may be accepted readily. Today some people believe just about anything available online.
Why is this human failing taking place? The write up provides four reasons:
- We are lazy.
- We don’t have time.
- It’s comfortable.
- We don’t believe in ourselves.
The problem is unlikely to be resolved. There are some minor concerns: Money, the pandemic, civil disturbances, and international tensions. Plus, I want to make clear that search engine optimization and a desire to be perceived as an expert are darned significant factors.
Net net: There’s little likelihood of rapid change. Social distance, wait for a bailout check, and be confident in your children’s future. No big deal. And that online fix for sluggish DNS look ups. Not to worry.
Stephen E Arnold, June 9, 2020
The Presumed JEDI Contract Winner Knows How to Catch Attention
June 3, 2020
Yep, Microsoft. If “Microsoft Puts Windows 10 May 2020 Update on Hold for Most Devices” is accurate, the creators of Bob and Vista are matching their previous technical achievements. DarkCyber highlighted this passage:
Microsoft’s latest May 2020 update is on hold for most devices as the company works to resolve a raft of issues… The company even added a prominent warning in Windows Update over the weekend. If you’re on the previous version looking to get the May 2020 Update (Build 2004), Windows Update will remind you that your device “isn’t quite ready for it.”
What happens if Department of Defense personnel require a stable version of Windows. Sometimes, not always, it is life and death for the user of a computing device, a laptop, or a cloud service.
Updating that kills a user’s system may have other — wait for it — consequences. Ah, Microsoft. Good enough even when it isn’t.
Stephen E Arnold, June 3, 2020
Facial Recognition: A Partial List
June 3, 2020
DarkCyber noted “From RealPlayer to Toshiba, Tech Companies Cash in on the Facial Recognition Gold Rush.” The write up provides two interesting things and one idea which is like a truck tire retread.
First, the write up points out that facial recognition or FR is a “gold rush.” That’s a comparison which eluded the DarkCyber research team. There’s no land. No seller of heavy duty pants. No beautiful scenery. No wading in cold water. No hydro mining. Come to think of it, FR is not like a gold rush.
Second, the write up provides a partial list of outfits engaged in facial recognition. The word partial is important. There are some notable omissions, but 45 is an impressive number. That’s the point. Just 45?
The aspect of the write the DarkCyber team ignored is this “from the MBA classroom” observation:
Despite hundreds of vendors currently selling facial recognition technology across the United States, there is no single government body registering the technology’s rollout, nor is there a public-facing list of such companies working with law enforcement. To document which companies are selling such technology today, the best resource the public has is a governmental agency called the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Governments are doing a wonderful job it seems. Perhaps the European Union should step forward? What about Brazil? China? Russia? The United Nations? With Covid threats apparently declining, maybe the World Health Organization? Yep, governments.
Then, after wanting a central listing of FR vendors, this passage snagged one of my researcher’s attention:
NIST is a government organization responsible for setting scientific measurement standards and testing novel technology. As a public service, NIST also provides a rolling analysis of facial recognition algorithms, which evaluates the accuracy and speed of a vendor’s algorithms. Recently, that analysis has also included aspects of facial recognition field like algorithmic bias based on race, age, and sex. NIST has previously found evidence of bias in a majority of algorithms studied.
Yep, NIST. The group has done an outstanding job for enterprise search. Plus the bias in algorithms has been documented and run through the math grinding wheel for many years. Put in snaps of bad actors and the FR system does indeed learn to match one digital watermark with a similar digital watermark. Run kindergarten snaps through the system and FR matches are essentially useless. Bias? Sure enough.
Consider these ideas:
- An organization, maybe Medium, should build a database of FR companies
- An organization, maybe Medium, should test each of the FR systems using available datasets or better yet building a training set
- An organization, maybe Medium, should set up a separate public policy blog to track government organizations which are not doing the job to Medium’s standards.
There is an interest in facial recognition because there is a need to figure out who is who. There are some civil disturbances underway in a certain high profile country. FR systems may not be perfect, but they may offer a useful tool to some. On the other hand, why not abandon modern tools until they are perfect.
We live in an era of good enough, and that’s what is available.
Stephen E Arnold, June 3, 2020
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